I received an advance reader copy of Famous Last Words through NetGalley, and I’m so glad I did! This book was a gripping mix of mystery, emotion, and character-driven storytelling that kept me hooked from the very first page.

The premise was unique and immediately intriguing, with a clever blend of suspense and heartfelt moments. The writing was sharp, and the pacing kept things moving without ever feeling rushed. I especially appreciated how the author balanced dark themes with moments of levity and humanity.

The characters were well-developed and complex—flawed, real, and compelling. I found myself invested in their arcs and genuinely curious about how everything would unfold. While a few plot points were a little predictable, the emotional depth and satisfying resolution more than made up for it.

Overall, Famous Last Words is a solid, engaging read that fans of literary mysteries and psychological thrillers will definitely appreciate. I’ll be looking out for more from this author!

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find your partner missing… and then turned on the news to discover he's taken hostages in the middle of London? No warning. No clue. Just a cryptic note and a national crisis. That's the hook behind "Famous Last Words" by Gillian McAllister—and oh, what a hook it is.

From page one, this book did not let go. If it weren't for the constant interruptions of life (you know, jobs, families, eating, sleeping), I would've devoured it in a single sitting. It's a high-stakes, emotionally twisted thriller that keeps your mind racing.

We meet Camilla—new mom, literary agent, and unsuspecting wife—on the morning her world flips upside down. Her husband, Luke, is gone, her daughter is about to go to daycare for the first time, and the news is reporting a hostage situation downtown. And guess who's the gunman? Her husband. The same man who coos at their baby, makes dinner, and never raises his voice. That guy.

What follows is an unraveling of secrets, truths, and emotional wreckage. Cam, who you can't help but root for, tries to piece together what really happened that day—and oddly enough, a mysterious manuscript might hold the answers. That's all I'll say. The less you know, the more fun you'll have.

This was my first Gillian McAllister book, and it absolutely won't be my last. The pacing is on point, the structure is tight, and the characters are relatable and mysterious. I especially loved the ambiguity McAllister builds into every twist—nothing is black and white.

If you love a twisty, character-driven thriller that makes you question how well you know the people you love, "Famous Last Words" should be on your list.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Oh how I love a good mystery thriller.

First of all, thank you to Gillian McAllister, NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Harper Collins for the eARC of "Famous Last Words." What a delightful and suspense filled read!

Camilla is living the perfect life: her husband, Luke, and their nine-month-old, Polly, live in London. The pair's love story — a literary agent and a writer — belongs in the pages of a rom com and their journey as new parents is just beginning. But one day, Cam is left alone, and Luke appears to be the culprit of a siege that left two unidentified men dead. Then, he is nowhere to be found.

What follows is a 14 year saga in which Cam and the hostage negotiator from the siege try to move on, but continue finding themselves pulled back to that day, and the mystery left behind. Because as both the characters and the reader find out: not all is what it seems.

What I love most about any mystery is the small details left throughout the book and learning, often alongside the characters, how those small details fit into the larger mystery. Gillian McAllister is a master weaver of details. Each bread crumb is used, every clue examined, no stone left unturned. Also, having both Camilla and Niall, the hostage negotiator, following these clues, with the added "surveillance" chapters in between (which, the reveal on this? CRAZY. Absolutely did not see it coming AT ALL), made it that much more interesting. Each character figured out different aspects of the clues and the overarching mystery could only be solved by all of those parts working together.

I also really liked the subsections of the book, how they divided the book into before and after crucial moments. Very small detail but very pleasant all the same.

The only thing I wanted more of throughout the narrative was more on the crime families. I loved this angle and it truly added so much depth to the realization Cam has about her husband's goodness, and strengthens the seemingly innocuous connection between hostage negotiator Niall and Cam, but because I as the reader didn't learn a lot about the crime families, it felt a touch gimmicky. I wanted more. That would have added length to the book and perhaps too many characters, so I can see possibilities why it was left out.

Overall, this is a slow burn mystery thriller that would be great for fans of crime shows and podcasts, or someone who loves puzzles. Happy reading!

Gillian McAllister, a master of suspense, returns with Famous Last Words, a thriller that plunges you into a vortex of chilling secrets and impossible choices. This isn't just a whodunit; it's a heart-stopping race against time where the truth hides in the darkest corners of the human heart.

The premise is simple, yet utterly compelling: a shocking crime, a web of suspects, and a past that refuses to stay buried. McAllister unravels this intricate plot with her signature blend of psychological acuity and breakneck pacing, keeping you guessing until the very last, breathtaking page.

Famous Last Words is more than a thriller; it's an exploration of the lies we tell ourselves and the lengths we'll go to protect those we love. With its complex characters, stunning twists, and an atmosphere thick with dread, this novel will leave you breathless and haunted long after you've finished reading.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a phycological thriller set in London. Camilla discovers her husband, Luke, missing on the day she returns to work from maternity leave. Luke is accused of taking 3 people hostage, killing 2 of them and then disappearing. In the ensuing years, Camilla raises their daughter with the help of her childless sister. Nine years later she is moving on with her life romantically and planning for a future without Luke. Strange things begin to happen leading Camilla to believe that Luke might still be alive. Joining forces with the hostage negotiator from that fateful day, Camilla sets out to find Luke and get answers. This book was hard to put down, with unexpected twists and turns throughout. Thank you #NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy!

I was really excited for this one - the synopsis sounded really good. Overall, I liked it. But not as much as I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley! I love Gillian McAllister and was happy to read her newest book. This novel drew me in from the first page. It had a unique plot line and that I instantly enjoyed. It really made me feel for the main characters and how this one event affected their lives

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up for Goodreads.

Gillian McAllister definitely has a unique way of writing that keeps me engaged all the way through. I, for the most part, enjoyed this book, although I did figure out the twist about half way through. I also enjoyed the time jump of 7 years. It was something I had never really seen in a thriller book before.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoyed her other books, or who enjoy a multiple POV crime thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Exciting start but too much time spent on secondary characters. The main character in this thriller is Camilla, a book agent. She is happily married to Luke and mother to a baby. It is her first day going back to work and she is nervous about leaving baby Polly with a daycare. But she is even more nervous when it appears her husband Luke is not home and has left a note saying "It's been lovely". Once she gets to work she is confronted by the police who tell her Luke is holding three people hostage with a gun in a warehouse. Camilla's life changes forever at that point especially when Luke disappears and she doesn't know if he is dead or alive or what his reasons would be for holding people hostage.

Seven years later, Camilla is trying to have Luke declared dead and to move on with her life. I was hoping to see a tense thriller where Camilla possibly with the help of a police officer or private detective were trying to solve this mystery. Instead, a lot of time is spent talking about Camilla's sisters battle with infertility and the hostage negotiator Niall's marriage problems. I think the author added in these other issues because she wanted to draw out the various twists but it slowed down the book considerably. After all this time Camilla receives a strange text message with coordinates and she begins to feel Luke might be alive. I found it hard to believe the police would be listening in on her calls and reading her texts for over seven years or have the manpower to be following her. Niall appears to not have any other job duties but following up on this cold case and I didn't find the character interesting. There are some twists to the story that weren't fleshed out well but did explain what was going on and i did like the ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

This is your typical Gillian book. I love love love how fleshed out and deep her books go. You truly don't see the twist coming until it happens.

Tense, twisty, and emotionally gripping, Famous Last Words is an expertly crafted psychological thriller that explores how well we ever truly know the people we love. When new mom Camilla’s husband becomes the perpetrator in a London hostage crisis, her world fractures in an instant. With a chilling note, a screaming news cycle, and secrets unraveling by the hour, McAllister delivers a compulsive, heart-pounding read. A brilliant blend of domestic suspense and moral dilemma, this is a must-read for fans of character-driven thrillers that stay with you long after the final page.

An entertaining read but it was a little slow and the husband’s reason for being away so long felt sloppy

Gillian McAllister has some big hits on the shelves. This one was really good but not my most favorite of hers. The concept is BRILLIANT but something was missing. It was a great book, I was entertained, I was shocked. It was a wonderful read!

The twists and turns in this book were so good! This is one of my favorite authors so I was sure I would enjoy. This author has a way of helping you know and understand the people in the story. Loved the mystery in this one and all of the character development!

Gillian McAllister's "Famous Last Words" is a superb psychological thriller that examines how well we truly know those we love most. This gripping novel follows Camilla, a new mother whose world shatters when her husband Luke commits an unthinkable crime and then vanishes without explanation.

What begins as Camilla's first day back from maternity leave quickly spirals into nightmare territory when Luke takes three hostages near her workplace. The only clue to his motives is a cryptic, half-written note. McAllister masterfully builds tension as Camilla's understanding of her marriage is questioned from every angle.

The ongoing timeline structure—shifting between the immediate aftermath of Luke's crime and seven years later when Camilla receives a mysterious text—creates a perfect balance of suspense. Just when you think you understand what's happening, McAllister introduces another layer of complexity that forces you to reevaluate everything.

The novel excels at portraying the emotional devastation of discovering the person you built a life with might be a stranger. Camilla's journey through shock, denial, and her determined quest for answers feels painfully authentic. Her struggle to reconcile her role as a mother with her need to uncover the truth adds profound emotional weight to the thriller elements.

McAllister's prose is taut and precise, with not a single wasted word as the mystery unfolds. The "twisty" description in the book's synopsis is no exaggeration, the plot continuously surprises without ever feeling contrived or manipulative.

"Famous Last Words" is impossible to put down, combining the page-turning quality of a thriller with thoughtful exploration of marriage, motherhood, and the sometimes devastating consequences of secrets.

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
New mother Camilla’s day spirals as news breaks of a hostage situation in London, with police informing Camilla that her husband Luke is the gunman. As she grapples with this revelation, she’s lead on a quest to uncover the truth about the man she thought she knew.

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
The book kicks off with a tense, high-stakes situation and ends with a chase and some big reveals. But the middle really slows down - there’s a lot about Cam’s love for Luke and hostage negotiator Niall’s love for his wife Viv. That side of things just didn’t hold my attention, as I usually prefer a faster pace and more twists scattered throughout.

I liked Niall at the beginning - confident and in control - but he quickly turned into the classic weary detective: failed marriage, haunted by a cold case... And without giving anything away, I think it would’ve been great to see things from the criminals’ point of view to add a bit more energy.

The twist at the end was clever, but I’d guessed part of it early on, which made it land a bit softer. I actually read this for book club, and most of us felt the same - we were hoping for a few more surprises.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
If you love a mix of slow-burn suspense and tragic love stories, this will probably hit the mark. It wasn’t quite my vibe, but the emotional depth, high-stakes setup, and strong narration will definitely work for a lot of readers.

Thanks to @Netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for access to this advanced readers copy

This wasn’t my favorite book of Gillian McAllistwr. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it for sure. I’ve just enjoyed their other books more.

Gillian McAllister continues to write what I call thrillers with heart. She deftly blends smartly drawn characters with tight plotting. Like her other books, Famous Last Words is really a portrait of a marriage disguised as a mystery. Fans of Wrong Place, Wrong Time will not be disappointed, and fans of both thrillers and relationship novels will enjoy McAllister's genre-bending.

This book started off really strong but got a little boring in the middle. While I did enjoy the story it took a long time for me to get through. I liked the other book by this author better

Thank you, William Morrow and NetGalley, for my eARC of Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I really enjoyed this thriller/mystery by McAllister; it drives home the question of how well do you ever really know someone? In this one, we're following Camilla who has just found out her husband is being accused of holding hostages and murder. We then follow her and Niall, the hostage negotiator, as they try to figure out what really happened that day.

This was written in dual POV, which I like, and we got to see the wife's story and Niall's point of view. I appreciated the twists and turns of the story, and how ultimately the two characters story lines become enmeshed. The writing was great, the plot was interesting, and the twists kept me wanting to read more.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys mystery thriller books, dual POVs, and those who like to read about complex characters.

Thanks, William Morrow!